My sister Sam graciously shared with me her fabulous mother-in-law’s recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese.  I love to plumb the depths of my family’s in-laws’ recipe archives in the hopes of finding hidden treasure.  I’m still hoping that I’ll get my other sister’s boyfriend’s mom’s secret family recipe for bread-and-butter pickles someday.  Hee hee.

I normally don’t follow a recipe when I make spaghetti bolognese, and this recipe has me convinced that henceforth I should.  Normally, I just saute some onions, peppers, and random vegetables, throw in a jar of pasta sauce and call it a day!  After all, the joy of pasta is that it’s E-A-S-Y, right?  Well, even though Auntie Val’s bolognese recipe IS a recipe, it’s just as simple and quick to prepare as any pasta sauce, and tastes GREAT!  Putting a little extra thought into this simple dish that we often take for granted takes it to the next level.  I love how Auntie Val’s ragu is simmered with bay leaves, which lends a savoriness and meatiness to the sauce that you associate with hearty stews.  A glug of white wine gives it depth, and a few teaspoons of sugar, while unexpected, really make the flavor pop.  Interestingly, Auntie Val’s recipe doesn’t use jarred pasta sauce, just a tin of tomato paste.  I would never have thought it, but somehow it works.  Of course, if you can’t conceive of bolognese sauce without tomato sauce, feel free to add some, or add a splash of pasta water to thin out the sauce if it’s too thick.

Auntie Val’s Bolognese Sauce

1.5 lbs ground beef
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp sliced pimento-stuffed olives
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp white wine
1 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp white pepper
dash of Tabasco sauce

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in saucepan. Saute onion and garlic until softened.

Add olives and beef, saute until browned.

Add tomato paste, ketchup, wine and spices. Add a splash of water if sauce is too dry. Simmer over low heat, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve with pasta.

It’s as simple as that!

You might also like